Method and device for controlling home device

ABSTRACT

A method by which a server controls plural devices includes receiving a trigger signal generated by a sensor in a home in response to a mobile device being present at a specific location in the home, determining devices corresponding to the specific location by using the trigger signal, receiving context information indicating a situation of a user from the mobile device, selecting context information related to operations of the determined devices from among the received context information by using keywords respectively related to the devices, each of the operations corresponding to each of the devices, and providing the selected context information to the devices respectively so that each of the devices performs the operations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/297,147filed Mar. 8, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/987,405 filed Jan. 4, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,250,691issued Apr. 2, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/121,958, filed on Feb. 27, 2015, in the US Patent andTrademark Office and priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0000290, filed on Jan. 2, 2015, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate toa method of controlling a home device and a device for controlling ahome device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, along with developments in information communicationtechnology and network technology, devices have evolved into portablemultimedia devices having various functions.

Along with high-level developments in electrical and electronictechnology and wired and wireless communication technology,interoperation between devices in locations distant from each other hasbecome easier, and the types of interoperable products also have becomeincreasingly varied. Accordingly, in the modern home residence culture,a home network is becoming mandatory rather than just optional. The homenetwork is currently highlighted as next-generation informationtechnology (IT) and includes a set of technologies for enhancing userconvenience by being combined with the Internet, on the basis ofcontrol, management, integration, and interoperation with respect toinformation home appliances in a home.

SUMMARY

Provided are a method and a device for controlling a home device locatedat home according to circumstances of a user by using contextinformation acquired by a mobile device to control the home device.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented exemplary embodiments.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a method by which aserver controls a home device includes: receiving a trigger signalgenerated by a sensor in a home in response to a mobile device beingpresent at a specific location in the home; determining a home devicecorresponding to the specific location by using the trigger signal;selecting context information related to an operation of the determinedhome device from among context information received from the mobiledevice; and providing the selected context information to the homedevice.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, a method bywhich a mobile device controls a home device includes: acquiring contextinformation of the mobile device or context information of a user;receiving, from a server in which the user of the mobile device isregistered, a trigger signal generated in response to the mobile devicebeing present at a specific location in a home; and providing theacquired context information to the server in response to the receivedtrigger signal, wherein context information related to an operation of ahome device corresponding to the specific location from among thecontext information provided to the server is provided from the serverto the home device.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, a server forcontrolling a home device includes: a communicator configured to receivea trigger signal generated by a sensor in a home in response to a mobiledevice being present at a specific location in the home; and acontroller configured to determine a home device corresponding to thespecific location by using the trigger signal and to select contextinformation related to an operation of the determined home device fromamong context information received from the mobile device, wherein thecommunicator provides the selected context information to the homedevice.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, a mobile devicefor controlling a home device includes: a communicator configured toacquire context information of the mobile device or context informationof a user and to receive, from a server in which the user of the mobiledevice is registered, a trigger signal generated in response to themobile device being present at a specific location in a home; and acontroller configured to provide the acquired context information to theserver in response to the received trigger signal, wherein contextinformation related to an operation of a home device corresponding tothe specific location from among the context information provided to theserver is provided from the server to the home device.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a method forcontrolling a device includes: receiving a trigger signal generated by asensor in a building in response to a mobile device being at a specificlocation in the building; determining a home device corresponding to thespecific location; selecting context information usable to control anoperation of the determined home device from among context informationof the mobile device; and controlling the home device based on theselected context information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a system forcontrolling home devices, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which a servercontrols a home device, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detail asystem for controlling a home device, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whicha server controls a TV, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whicha server controls a washing machine, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whicha server controls home devices located in a room, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detail asystem for controlling a home device, according to another exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which a serverreceives context information from a mobile device, according to anotherexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a system forcontrolling home devices, according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing a systemfor controlling a home device, according to another exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which amobile device controls home devices, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detail asystem for controlling a home device, according to another exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 13 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detail asystem for controlling a home device, according to another exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of a server for controlling homedevices, according to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate block diagrams for describing a configurationof a mobile device, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, theexemplary embodiments may have different forms and should not beconstrued as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein.Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are merely described below, byreferring to the figures, to explain aspects of the exemplaryembodiments.

In the specification, when it is described that a certain part is‘connected’ to another part, it should be understood that the certainpart may be “directly connected” to another part or “electricallyconnected” to another part via a third part in the middle. In addition,when a certain part “includes” a certain component, this indicates thatthe part may further include another component instead of excludinganother component unless there is different disclosure.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

In the specification, the term “home device” indicates a home appliancedesigned for a specific purpose in a home. For example, a TV, an airconditioner, a washing machine, a cleaner, a microwave oven, arefrigerator, or the like may be included as the home device, but thehome device is not limited thereto. The home device may be controlledthrough a wired and wireless electric communication network by beingequipped with a wired and wireless network function so as to enabletransmission and reception of analog and digital information.

In addition, the term “context information” may include informationrelated to a situation of a user who uses a mobile device. The contextinformation may be used to predict a situation of the user. The contextinformation may include context information related to the mobile deviceand context information related to the user. The context informationrelated to the mobile device may include, for example, informationregarding a device location, time, weather, and an execution history ofapplications executed by the mobile device. In addition, the contextinformation related to the user may include, for example, informationregarding an activity history of the user, events, lifestyle, aconsumption list, a schedule, and preferences of the user.

In one exemplary embodiment, the context information may include fitnessinformation such as heart rate, galvanic skin response, and otherfitness information. The fitness information may be used to control anoperation of a thermostat, fitness equipment, etc. In another exemplaryembodiment, the context information may include context information onmore than one user or more than one mobile device. The contextinformation on more than one user or more than one mobile device may beused to control one or more home devices according to the contextinformation on more than one user or more than one mobile device.

However, the description above is only illustrative, and the contextinformation is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a system 10 forcontrolling home devices 16, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 1, the system 10 for controlling the home devices 16may include a server 100, a mobile device 12, a sensor 14, and the homedevices 16.

The system 10 for controlling the home devices 16, which is shown inFIG. 1, includes only components related to the present exemplaryembodiment. Therefore, it will be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art related to the present exemplary embodiment that othergeneral-use components may be further included in addition to or inplace of the components shown in FIG. 1.

The server 100 may communicate with the home devices 16 located in thehome. The server 100 may receive respective identification values of thehome devices 16 from the home devices 16. For example, the server 100may receive respective serial code numbers of the home devices 16.

The server 100 may store the identification values received from thehome devices 16. In addition, the server 100 may store identificationinformation of a user who uses the home devices 16 together with theidentification values of the home devices 16. For example, if the userhas subscribed to a website provided by the server 100, the server 100may store an identification (ID) and a password of the user for thewebsite as the identification information of the user. Alternatively,the server 100 may store, as the identification information of the user,a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile device 12 which theuser uses.

In addition, the server 100 may communicate with the mobile device 12.The server 100 may request the mobile device 12 for information requiredto control the home devices 16. For example, the server 100 may requestthe mobile device 12 for context information. In addition, the server100 may transmit the context information received from the mobile device12 to the home devices 16. Herein, the context information may be usedto determine an operation to be performed by at least one of the homedevices 16.

When the server 100 receives a trigger signal generated by the sensor 14in the home, the server 100 may request the mobile device 12 for contextinformation. The trigger signal may be generated by the sensor 14provided at a specific location in the home, when the user is located atthe specific location. The trigger signal may include identificationvalues of the home devices 16 located at the specific location in thehome.

The server 100 requesting the mobile device 12 for context informationis only illustrative, and the server 100 may receive the contextinformation from the mobile device 12 during a preset period.

The mobile device 12 may acquire context information of the user or themobile device 12. According to one exemplary embodiment, the mobiledevice 12 may transmit the context information to the server 100 inresponse to a context information request received from the server 100.As another example, the mobile device 12 may transmit the contextinformation to the server 100 during a preset period.

The home devices 16 may determine an operation to be performed by usingthe context information received from the server 100. For example, for aTV, the server 100 may determine an operation to be actually performedamong available operations of the TV, such as an operation of displayingthe context information on a screen, an operation of providing an alarmat a set time, and the like, by using the received context information.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the server 100 receives thetrigger signal generated by a sensor in a building in response to themobile device 12 being at a specific location in the building. Theserver 100 determines a home device 16 corresponding to the specificlocation. The server 100 selects context information usable to controlan operation of the determined home device 16 from among contextinformation of the mobile device 12. The server 100 controls the homedevice 16 based on the selected context information.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which theserver 100 controls a home device 16, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S210, the server 100 receives a trigger signal generated bya sensor 14 in the home when a mobile device 12 is located at a specificlocation in the home.

At least one sensor may be provided for each specific location in thehome. For example, sensors may be respectively provided to bedrooms, amultipurpose room, a bathroom, a kitchen, an entrance, and a living roomin the home. The sensor 14 may detect the mobile device 12 located neara location where the sensor 14 is provided. For example, a sensor 14provided at the entrance may detect the mobile device 12 when a usercarrying the mobile device 12 passes through the entrance. A range inwhich the sensor 14 detects the mobile device 12 may be determinedaccording to settings by the user. For example, the user may setdetection ranges of the at least one sensor provided in the home suchthat the detection ranges do not overlap each other.

The server 100 may identify trigger signals generated by differentsensors. The trigger signals generated by the different sensors may havedifferent waveforms and strengths thereof and different informationincluded therein. Information included in a trigger signal may include alocation information code indicating a location where a sensor islocated and identification values of home devices located around thesensor. For example, a trigger signal generated by a sensor provided ina multipurpose room of an apartment A building B No. C may include alocation information code indicating the multipurpose room of theapartment A building B No. C and an identification value of a washingmachine located in the multipurpose room. In addition, a trigger signalgenerated by a sensor provided in a living room of the apartment Abuilding B No. C may include a location information code indicating theliving room of the apartment A building B No. C and an identificationvalue of a TV located in the living room.

In operation S220, the server 100 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location by using the trigger signal.

As described above, the trigger signal may include identification valuesof home devices 16 located around the sensor 14 which has generated thetrigger signal. The server 100 may extract the identification values ofthe home devices 16 located around the sensor 14 from the triggersignal. The server 100 may compare pre-stored identification values ofhome devices 16 with the extracted identification values of the homedevices 16 to specify the home devices 16 located around the sensor 14.

In operation S230, the server 100 selects context information related toan operation of the determined home device 16 from among contextinformation received from the mobile device 12.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the server 100 receives atrigger signal, the server 100 may request the mobile device 12 forcontext information. The server 100 may receive the context informationfrom the mobile device 12 as a response to the request. According toanother exemplary embodiment, the server 100 may receive the contextinformation from the mobile device 12 during a preset period.

The server 100 may previously store keywords for identifying contextinformation related to operations of home devices 16. The keywords mayindicate information regarding conditions supposed to be satisfied todetermine operations to be performed by the home devices 16. Forexample, the keywords may include a word indicating a condition forperforming any one of available operations of the home devices 16, atype of an application to be executed by the mobile device 12, and thelike. In detail, the server 100 may select, as keywords related to a TV,words such as play, video, a favorite broadcast program list,photograph, travel schedule, and the like. Alternatively, a videoplayback application, a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB)application, a scheduler application, and the like may be selected askeywords related to the TV.

The server 100 may select context information required to determine anoperation to be performed by the determined home device 16 from amongthe received context information by using the pre-stored keywords. Forexample, the server 100 may select context information including wordssuch as play, video, a favorite broadcast program list, photograph,travel schedule, and the like, which are keywords related to the TV,from among the received context information.

Keywords of the home devices 16 may be set differently for each of thehome devices 16.

In operation S240, the server 100 provides the selected contextinformation to the determined home device 16. For example, the server100 may transmit context information to the determined home device 16.As another example, the server 100 may transmit, to the determined homedevice 16, link information by which context information is downloaded.A method by which the server 100 transmits link information to thedetermined home device 16 will be described in detail below withreference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The home device 16 may determine an operation to be performed by usingthe provided context information. For example, a TV may determinewhether to perform a display operation or an alarm operation by usingthe provided context information. The TV may also determine a type ofinformation to be displayed by using the context information. A methodby which the TV performs an operation by using the provided contextinformation will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detailthe system 10 for controlling a home device 16, according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S310, a sensor 14 detects a mobile device 12 located at aspecific location. According to an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 14may detect the mobile device 12 where the sensor 14 is located. Forexample, a sensor provided at the entrance may detect the mobile device12 when the user carrying the mobile device 12 passes through theentrance. As another example, a sensor provided in a room may detect themobile device 12 when the user carrying the mobile device 12 is locatedin a distance range within 1 m from the room.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the sensor 14 may determinewhether the detected mobile device 12 is an authorized mobile device byusing an identification value of the mobile device 12. If theidentification value of the mobile device 12 is not registered, thesensor 14 may not detect the mobile device 12.

In operation S320, the sensor 14 transmits a trigger signal to theserver 100 when the mobile device 12 is detected. The sensor 14 maygenerate the trigger signal when the mobile device 12 is detected. Thetrigger signal may include information on home devices 16 located aroundthe sensor 14. For example, the trigger signal may include serial codenumbers of the home devices 16 located around the sensor 14.

Alternatively, an identification number of the sensor 14, whichgenerates the trigger signal, or location information of the sensor 14may be included in the trigger signal together with the information onthe home devices 16. For example, a header of a trigger signal mayinclude information indicating a sensor in room 1 of an apartment Abuilding B No. C, and a payload may include serial code numbers of homedevices, such as a lighting fixture, a cleaner, an audio system, and thelike, located in room 1 of apartment A building B No. C.

The sensor 14 may transmit the generated trigger signal to the server100.

In operation S330, the server 100 requests the mobile device 12 forcontext information according to the reception of the trigger signal.

The server 100 may previously store identification information of atleast one user using the home devices 16 in the home, an identificationvalue of the mobile device 12 of the user, and the like. For example,the identification information of the user may include addressinformation of the user. When the user has subscribed to a websiteprovided by the server 100, the identification information of the usermay include an ID and a password of the user in addition to the addressinformation of the user. The server 100 may store identification valuesof the home devices 16 located in the home together with theabove-described identification information of the user and theidentification value of the mobile device 12 of the user.

The server 100 may determine a mobile device from which contextinformation is to be requested by using a trigger signal. The server 100may determine a mobile device from which context information is to berequested by comparing identification information of a user or anidentification value of a mobile device of the user, which is includedin a received trigger signal, with identification information of atleast one user or an identification value of a mobile device of the atleast one user, which is stored in a database.

The server 100 may request the determined mobile device for contextinformation.

In operation S340, the mobile device 12 transmits the contextinformation to the server 100 in response to the request.

The context information stored in the mobile device 12 may includeinformation related to a situation of the user who uses the mobiledevice 12. The mobile device 12 may predict the situation of the userthrough the context information. The context information includesinformation regarding a location of the mobile device 12, a time,weather, and an execution history of applications executed by the mobiledevice 12. In addition, the context information may include informationregarding an activity history of the user, lifestyle, a consumptionlist, a schedule, and preferences of the user.

In operation S350, the server 100 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location.

As described above, the trigger signal may include information on homedevices 16 located around the sensor 14 which has generated the triggersignal. The server 100 may extract identification values of the homedevices 16 located around the sensor 14 from the trigger signal. Theserver 100 may compare pre-stored identification values of home devices16 with the extracted identification values of the home devices 16 tospecify the home devices 16 located around the sensor 14.

For example, the server 100 may confirm that a TV is located near asensor which has generated a trigger signal, by using an identificationvalue of the TV, which is included in the trigger signal.

Operation S350 may correspond to operation S220 described above withreference to FIG. 2.

In operation S360, the server 100 selects context information related toan operation of the determined home device 16.

The server 100 may previously store keywords by which contextinformation related to operations of home devices 16 is identified. Theserver 100 may select context information required to determine theoperation to be performed by the determined home device 16 from amongreceived context information by using the pre-stored keywords.

For example, context information received by the server 100 may includeinformation regarding a title of a broadcast program which a user waswatching before entering the home and a play position of the broadcastprogram. The server 100 may select context information related to thebroadcast program which the user has watched, by using the words play,broadcast program, DMB application, and the like, which are keywordsrelated to a TV. However, this example is only illustrative, and thekeywords in the present exemplary embodiment are not limited thereto.

The keywords pre-stored in the server 100 may differ for each homedevice 16.

Operation S360 in FIG. 3 may correspond to operation S230 describedabove with reference to FIG. 2.

In operation S370, the server 100 provides the selected contextinformation to the determined home device 16.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to thedetermined home device 16. According to another exemplary embodiment,when the server 100 separately stores context information in a datastorage server, the server 100 may transmit link information so that thedetermined home device 16 downloads the selected context informationfrom the data storage server.

In operation S380, the home device 16 determines an operation to beperformed by the home device 16 by using the selected contextinformation. For example, when a TV receives, from the server 100,context information related to a broadcast program which the user haswatched, the TV may perform a display operation of the TV so as to playthe broadcast program from a frame immediately after the frame which theuser has watched or to play the broadcast program from a point in timecorresponding a point in time in the program that the user has left offat or completed watching.

FIG. 4 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whichthe server 100 controls a TV 430, according to an exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 4, when a user who carries a mobile device 410 entersa living room where the TV 430 is located, a sensor 420 located aroundthe TV 430 may detect the mobile device 410 of the user. When the sensor420 detects the mobile device 410, the sensor 420 may generate a triggersignal and transmit the generated trigger signal to the server 100.

The server 100 may receive the trigger signal from the sensor 420. Theserver 100 may request the mobile device 410 for context information byusing the received trigger signal. The server 100 may extractidentification information of the user or an identification value of themobile device 410 of the user from the trigger signal. The server 100may determine the mobile device 410 by comparing the extractedidentification information of the user or the extracted identificationvalue of the mobile device 410 of the user with identificationinformation of users of a plurality of mobile devices or identificationvalues of the plurality of mobile devices, which are stored in thedatabase of the server 100.

The server 100 may request the determined mobile device 410 for contextinformation. The server 100 may receive the context information from themobile device 410 in response to the context information request.

The server 100 may confirm that a home device located in the living roomis the TV 430, by using an identification value of the TV 430, which isincluded in the trigger signal.

The server 100 may select context information related to an operation ofthe TV 430 from among the received context information by usingpre-stored keywords related to the TV 430.

For example, the server 100 may select, as the context informationrelated to an operation of the TV 430, traveling days, information onpeople who have travelled together, a route travelled by the user,places which the user visited during travel, and photographed picturesfrom among the received context information by using the word “travel”that is a keyword related to the TV 430.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to the TV430.

The TV 430 may receive the context information from the server 100. TheTV 430 may perform an operation determined to be required for the useraccording to a situation of the user, which is determined on the basisof the received context information, from among available operations.The TV 430 may include a database for storing the available operationsrespectively matched with related context information. For example, thedatabase may store information indicating that an operation ofgenerating and displaying a video album should be performed wheninformation on a photograph file, a place, a date, and a route isreceived.

According to the above-described example, the TV 430 may generate avideo album related to the travel by mapping visited places tophotograph information. The TV 430 may display the generated videoalbum.

In addition, when the TV 430 receives information on other people whohave travelled together with the user, the TV 430 may share thegenerated video album with the other people.

As another example, the server 100 may select, as the contextinformation related to an operation of the TV 430, an exercise type, anexercising time, biometric signal information of the user, which hasbeen measured during an exercise, and the like from among the receivedcontext information by using the word “exercise” that is a keywordrelated to the TV 430.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to the TV430.

The TV 430 may receive the context information from the server 100. Wheninformation regarding an exercise is received, the database of the TV430 may store information indicating that an operation of calculatingcalorie consumption details of the user and displaying the calorieconsumption details based on an exercising time should be performed.

The TV 430 may display information on calories consumed during theexercise of the user based on an exercising time by using the receivedexercise type, exercising time, and biometric signal information of theuser, which has been measured while exercising.

As another example, the server 100 may select, as the contextinformation related to an operation of the TV 430, information regardinga place the user regularly visits, information regarding a time the userusually visits the place, and the like by using “schedule” that is akeyword related to the TV 430.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to the TV430.

The TV 430 may receive the context information from the server 100. Wheninformation regarding places the user regularly visits and informationregarding times the user visits the places are received, the database ofthe TV 430 may store information indicating that an operation ofdetermining a place to be recommended to the user and displaying thedetermined place should be performed.

The TV 430 may determine and display a place preferred by the user byusing the received information regarding places which the user regularlyvisits and information regarding the times the user has visited theplaces.

FIG. 5 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whichthe server 100 controls a washing machine 530, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 5, when a user carrying a mobile device 510 enters amultipurpose room where the washing machine 530 is located, a sensor 520located near the washing machine 530 may detect the mobile device 510 ofthe user. When the sensor 520 detects the mobile device 510, the sensor520 may generate a trigger signal and transmit the generated triggersignal to the server 100.

The server 100 may receive the trigger signal from the sensor 520. Theserver 100 may request the mobile device 510 for context information byusing the received trigger signal. The server 100 may extractidentification information of the user or an identification value of themobile device 510 of the user from the trigger signal. The server 100may determine the mobile device 510 by comparing the extractedidentification information of the user or the extracted identificationvalue of the mobile device 510 of the user with identificationinformation of users of a plurality of mobile devices or identificationvalues of the plurality of mobile devices, which are stored in thedatabase of the server 100.

The server 100 may request the determined mobile device 510 for contextinformation. The server 100 may receive the context information from themobile device 510 in response to the context information request.

The server 100 may confirm that a home device located in themultipurpose room is the washing machine 530, by using an identificationvalue of the washing machine 530, which is included in the triggersignal.

The server 100 may select context information related to an operation ofthe washing machine 530 from among the received context information byusing pre-stored keywords related to the washing machine 530.

For example, the server 100 may select, as the context informationrelated to an operation of the washing machine 530, a sport type, aplaying time, biometric signal information of the user, which has beenmeasured during a sport game, and the like from among the receivedcontext information by using the word “sport” that is a keyword relatedto the washing machine 530.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to thewashing machine 530.

The washing machine 530 may receive the context information from theserver 100. When information regarding a sport is received, a databaseof the washing machine 530 may store information indicating that anoperation of cleaning sportswear worn by the user during the sportshould be performed.

The washing machine 530 may perform an operation for cleaning thesportswear according to the received context information.

FIG. 6 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing a method by whichthe server 100 controls home devices 632, 634, and 635 located in aroom, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 6, when a user carrying a mobile device 610 enters theroom, a sensor 620 located in the room may detect the mobile device 610of the user. When the sensor 620 detects the mobile device 610, thesensor 620 may generate a trigger signal and transmit the generatedtrigger signal to the server 100.

The server 100 may receive the trigger signal from the sensor 620. Theserver 100 may request the mobile device 610 for context information byusing the received trigger signal. The server 100 may extractidentification information of the user or an identification value of themobile device 610 of the user from the trigger signal. The server 100may determine the mobile device 610 by comparing the extractedidentification information of the user or the extracted identificationvalue of the mobile device 610 of the user with identificationinformation of users of a plurality of mobile devices or identificationvalues of the plurality of mobile devices, which are stored in thedatabase of the server 100.

The server 100 may request the determined mobile device 610 for contextinformation. The server 100 may receive the context information from themobile device 610 in response to the context information request.

Referring to FIG. 6, a lighting fixture 632, a robot cleaner 634, and anaudio system 635 may be located in the room.

The server 100 may confirm that home devices located in the room are thelighting fixture 632, the robot cleaner 634, and the audio system 635,by using identification values of the lighting fixture 632, the robotcleaner 634, and the audio system 635, which are included in thereceived trigger signal.

The server 100 may select context information related to operations ofthe lighting fixture 632, the robot cleaner 634, and the audio system635 from among the received context information by using pre-storedkeywords respectively related to the lighting fixture 632, the robotcleaner 634, and the audio system 635.

For example, the server 100 may select, as the context informationrelated to an operation of the lighting fixture 632, information bywhich a feeling, an emotion, and the like are predictable from among thereceived context information by using “feeling,” “emotion,” and the likethat are keywords related to the lighting fixture 632.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to a devicefor controlling the lighting fixture 632.

The device for controlling the lighting fixture 632 may receive thecontext information from the server 100. A database of the device forcontrolling the lighting fixture 632 may store information indicatingthat the brightness of the lighting fixture 632 should be adjusted bydetermining a feeling and an emotion of the user when informationregarding the feeling and the emotion of the user is received.

The device for controlling the lighting fixture 632 may determine thebrightness of the lighting fixture 632 by predicting a feeling and anemotion of the user according to the received context information.

As another example, the server 100 may select, as the contextinformation, information regarding a title of a played music file and aplay position of the music file from among the received contextinformation by using “music play” and “an execution history of a musicplay application” that are keywords related to the audio system 635.

The server 100 may transmit the selected context information to theaudio system 635.

The audio system 635 may receive the context information from the server100. A database of the audio system 635 may store information indicatingthat an operation of playing the latest music file from a pausedposition should be performed when the information regarding the title ofthe played music file and the play position of the music file isreceived

The audio system 635 may play the latest music file played in the mobiledevice 610 from the play-paused time point according to the receivedcontext information. In other words, the audio system 635 may receiveinformation regarding a point time where the audio system is to resumeplaying a music file, podcast, audiobook, etc. that is played on themobile device 610 or other device.

FIG. 7 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detailthe system 10 for controlling a home device 16, according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S710, a sensor 14 detects a mobile device 12 located at aspecific location. According to an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 14may detect the mobile device 12 located where the sensor 14 is located.

Operation S710 may correspond to operation S310 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S720, the sensor 14 transmits a trigger signal to theserver 100 when the mobile device 12 is detected. The sensor 14 maygenerate the trigger signal when the mobile device 12 is detected. Thetrigger signal may include information on home devices 16 located aroundthe sensor 14. Alternatively, an identification number of the sensor 14,which generates the trigger signal, or location information of thesensor 14 may be included in the trigger signal together with theinformation on the home devices 16.

Operation S720 may correspond to operation S320 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S730, the server 100 requests the mobile device 12 forcontext information according to the reception of the trigger signal.

The server 100 may determine a mobile device from which contextinformation is to be requested by using a trigger signal. The server 100may determine a mobile device from which context information is to berequested by comparing identification information of a user or anidentification value of a mobile device of the user, which is includedin a received trigger signal, with identification information of atleast one user or an identification value of a mobile device of the atleast one user, which is stored in a database.

Operation S730 may correspond to operation S330 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S740, the mobile device 12 allows the user to confirmwhether the context information is transmitted to the server 100.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 12 may display awindow for checking whether to transmit context information when acontext information request is received from the server 100. The usermay input, into the window, a user input indicating whether to transmitcontext information.

If the user inputs a user input indicating a transmission approval ofcontext information, the mobile device 12 may detect context informationstored therein. Otherwise, if the user inputs a user input indicating atransmission reject of context information, the mobile device 12 maytransmit the user input to the server 100.

In operation S750, the mobile device 12 transmits the contextinformation to the server 100 in response to the request. If the useraccepts the transmission of the context information, the mobile device12 may transmit the stored context information to the server 100.

Operation S750 may correspond to operation S340 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S760, the server 100 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location.

As described above, the trigger signal may include information on homedevices 16 located around the sensor 14 which has generated the triggersignal. The server 100 may extract identification values of the homedevices 16 located around the sensor 14 from the trigger signal. Theserver 100 may compare pre-stored identification values of home devices16 with the extracted identification values of the home devices 16 tospecify the home devices 16 located around the sensor 14.

Operation S760 may correspond to operation S350 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S770, the server 100 selects context information related toan operation of the determined home device 16.

The server 100 may previously store keywords by which contextinformation related to operations of home devices 16 is identified. Theserver 100 may select context information required to determine theoperation to be performed by the determined home device 16 from amongreceived context information by using the pre-stored keywords.

Operation S770 in FIG. 7 may correspond to operation S360 describedabove with reference to FIG. 3.

In operation S780, the server 100 provides the selected contextinformation to the determined home device 16.

Operation S780 in FIG. 7 may correspond to operation S370 describedabove with reference to FIG. 3.

In operation S790, the home device 16 allows the user to confirm whetherto perform a determined operation by using the selected contextinformation.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the home device 16 may determinean operation to be performed by the home device 16 by using the selectedcontext information. The home device 16 may output a signal for askingthe user to perform the determined operation. For example, a TV mayoutput, one a screen, a window for asking the user about whether toperform an operation of displaying a video program. As another example,an audio system may output a voice guide signal for asking the userabout whether to perform an operation of playing a music file.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which theserver 100 receives context information from a mobile device 12,according to another exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S810, the server 100 receives context information from themobile device 12 during a preset period.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 12 may acquirecontext information related to the mobile device 12 and contextinformation related to a user, which are used to predict a situation ofthe user. The server 100 may receive the context information acquired bythe mobile device 12, in a preset time interval. For example, the server100 may receive context information from the mobile device 12 during aperiod of one hour.

As another example, the server 100 may receive context information fromthe mobile device 12 when a synchronization signal of the user is inputto the mobile device 12. The mobile device 12 may display an iconindicating that context information is shared with the server 100. Whenthe user touches the icon, context information acquired by the mobiledevice 12 may be transmitted to the server 100.

As another example, the server 100 may receive context information fromthe mobile device 12 every time the mobile device 12 acquires thecontext information. That is, the server 100 may receive positioninformation from the mobile device 12 every time the mobile device 12acquires the position information thereof.

In operation S820, the server 100 classifies the received contextinformation based on a related home device 16.

The server 100 may classify context information received from the mobiledevice 12, by using keywords preset for each home device 16. Forexample, if a keyword related to a washing machine is “sport,” theserver 100 may classify context information related to “sport” fromamong the context information received from the mobile device 12. Theserver 100 may store the classified context information related to“sport” as context information related to the washing machine.

As another example, if a keyword related to a TV is “broadcast program,”the server 100 may classify context information related to “broadcastprogram” from among the context information received from the mobiledevice 12. The server 100 may store the classified context informationrelated to “broadcast program” as context information related to the TV.

In operation S830, the server 100 receives a trigger signal generatedwhen the mobile device 12 is located at a specific location in the home.

At least one sensor may be provided in each specific location in thehome. For example, sensors may be respectively provided in bedrooms, amultipurpose room, a bathroom, a kitchen, the entrance, and a livingroom in the home. A sensor 14 may detect the mobile device 12 locatedaround a location where the sensor 14 is provided. The sensor 14 maygenerate a trigger signal when the mobile device 12 is detected. Theserver 100 may receive the generated trigger signal from the sensor 14.

Operation S830 may correspond to operation S210 described above withreference to FIG. 2.

In operation S840, the server 100 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location.

The trigger signal may include identification values of home devices 16located around the sensor 14 which has generated the trigger signal. Theserver 100 may extract the identification values of the home devices 16located around the sensor 14 from the trigger signal. The server 100 maycompare pre-stored identification values of home devices 16 with theextracted identification values of the home devices 16 to specify thehome devices 16 located around the sensor 14.

Operation S840 may correspond to operation S220 described above withreference to FIG. 2.

In operation S850, the server 100 transmits context informationcorresponding to the determined home device 16 from among the classifiedcontext information.

For example, if the determined home device 16 is a TV, the server 100may extract context information related to the TV from among theclassified context information. The server 100 may transmit theextracted context information related to the TV to the home device 16.

The home device 16 may determine an operation to be performed by thehome device 16 based on the received context information. The homedevice 16 may use situation information to determine whether conditionspremised to determine a specific operation to be performed aresatisfied. For example, in order for a TV to play a broadcast program, acondition that a user has been watching the broadcast before enteringthe home is supposed to be satisfied. The TV may determine whether theuser has been watching the broadcast before entering the home, by usingcontext information received from the server 100.

FIG. 9 illustrates a conceptual diagram for describing the system 10 forcontrolling home devices 930, according to another exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 9, the system 10 for controlling the home devices 930may include the server 100, a mobile device 910, a sensor 920, the homedevices 930, and a data storage server 940.

The system 10 for controlling the home devices 930, which is shown inFIG. 9, includes only components related to the present exemplaryembodiment. Therefore, it could be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art related to the present exemplary embodiment that othergeneral-use components may be further included besides the componentsshown in FIG. 9.

The server 100 may communicate with the home devices 930 located in thehome. The server 100 may receive identification values of the homedevices 930 from the home devices 930, respectively. The server 100 maystore the identification values received from the home devices 930. Inaddition, the server 100 may store identification information of a userwho uses the home devices together with the identification values of thehome devices 930.

In addition, the server 100 may communicate with the mobile device 910.The server 100 may request the mobile device 910 for informationrequired to control the home devices. For example, the server 100 mayrequest the mobile device 910 for context information when the server100 receives a trigger signal generated by the sensor 920 in the home.The mobile device 910 may acquire context information of the user or themobile device 910.

The server 100 may receive context information from the mobile device910. The server 100 may classify the received context information basedon the home devices 930. For example, the server 100 may extract contextinformation related to each of the home devices 930 by using a presetkeyword previously determined for each of the home devices 930.

The server 100 may transmit the classified context information to thedata storage server 940. The data storage server 940 may store theclassified context information received from the server 100.

The server 100 may check a position where the classified contextinformation is stored in the data storage server 940. According to anexemplary embodiment, the server 100 may determine, for each home device930, a position where the classified context information is to be storedand transmit the determined storage position information to the datastorage server 940 together with the classified context information.According to another exemplary embodiment, the data storage server 940may transmit information on a position where context information of eachhome device 930 is stored to the server 100.

Alternatively, the server 100 may transmit, to the home devices 930,link information by which context information is downloaded when atrigger signal is received. The link information by which contextinformation is downloaded may be determined according to positionswherein the context information is stored in the data storage server940.

The home devices 930 may download the context information from the datastorage server 940 by using the received link information. The homedevices 930 may determine an operation to be performed, by using thecontext information.

FIG. 10 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing the system10 for controlling a home device 930, according to another exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S1010, a sensor 920 detects a mobile device 910 located ata specific location. According to an exemplary embodiment, the sensor920 may detect the mobile device 910 located where the sensor 920 islocated.

Operation S1010 may correspond to operation S310 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1015, the sensor 920 transmits a trigger signal to theserver 100 when the mobile device 910 is detected. The sensor 920 maygenerate the trigger signal when the mobile device 910 is detected. Thetrigger signal may include information on home devices 930 locatedaround the sensor 920. Alternatively, an identification number of thesensor 920, which generates the trigger signal, or location informationof the sensor 920 may be included in the trigger signal together withthe information on the home devices 930.

Operation S1015 may correspond to operation S320 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1020, the server 100 requests the mobile device 910 forcontext information according to the reception of the trigger signal.The server 100 may determine a mobile device from which contextinformation is to be requested by using a trigger signal.

Operation S1020 may correspond to operation S330 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1025, the mobile device 910 transmits the contextinformation to the server 100 in response to the request.

Operation S1025 may correspond to operation S340 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1030, the server 100 transmits the context information tothe data storage server 940.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the server 100 may classifycontext information received from the mobile device 910, by using akeyword preset for each home device 930. The server 100 may transmit thecontext information classified for each home device 930 to the datastorage server 940.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the server 100 may determineinformation on a position where the classified context information is tobe stored in the data storage server 940. The server 100 may transmitthe determined position information to the data storage server 940together with the classified context information.

In operation S1035, the data storage server 940 stores the contextinformation received from the server 100.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the data storage server 940 mayreceive information on a position where the context information is to bestored, together with the context information. The data storage server940 may store the received context information based on the receivedposition information. For example, the data storage server 940 may storethe context information based on position information determined foreach of the home devices 930.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the data storage server 940may store the context information in a random storage position. The datastorage server 940 may transmit position information indicating theposition where the received context information is stored, as a responseto the reception of the context information.

In operation S1040, the server 100 determines the home device 930corresponding to the specific location.

As described above, the trigger signal may include information on homedevices 930 located around the sensor 920 which has generated thetrigger signal. The server 100 may extract identification values of thehome devices 930 located around the sensor 920 from the trigger signal.The server 100 may compare pre-stored identification values of homedevices 930 with the extracted identification values of the home devices930 to specify the home devices 930 located around the sensor 920.

Operation S1040 may correspond to operation S350 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1045, the server 100 selects context information relatedto an operation of the determined home device 930.

The server 100 may previously store keywords by which contextinformation related to operations of home devices 930 is identified. Theserver 100 may select context information required to determine theoperation to be performed by the determined home device 930 from amongreceived context information by using the pre-stored keywords.

In operation S1050, the server 100 transmits, to the determined homedevice 930, link information by which the selected context informationis downloaded. The link information by which the selected contextinformation is downloaded may be determined according to a positionwhere the context information is stored.

In operation S1055, the home device 930 downloads the contextinformation from the data storage server 940, by using the received linkinformation. The home device 930 may determine an operation to beperformed, by using the context information.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart for describing a method by which amobile device 12 controls home devices 16, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S1110, the mobile device 12 acquires context information ofthe mobile device 12 or a user. The context information acquired by themobile device 12 may be used to predict a situation of the user.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 12 may acquireinformation regarding a position, a time, and a weather of the mobiledevice 12.

For example, the mobile device 12 may store information on a locationchange along a time. The mobile device 12 may store information that themobile device 12 was at a location X at 9 AM and is at a location Y at 8PM. In addition, the mobile device 12 may determine a transportationmeans by collecting information regarding a changing time betweenlocations of the mobile device 12, a sound around the mobile device 12,and the like. For example, the mobile device 12 may determine whetherthe user moved from the location X to the location Y by bus or on foot.

In addition, the mobile device 12 may acquire information regarding anexecution history of applications executed by the mobile device 12. Thatis, the mobile device 12 may acquire types of applications executed forone day, an execution time of the applications, and information acquiredaccording to the execution of the applications. For example, the mobiledevice 12 may acquire an execution time of an exercise supportapplication executed during the use of a running machine and exerciseinformation acquired during the use of the running machine.

In addition, the mobile device 12 may acquire information regardingactivity details of the user, lifestyle, a consumption list, a schedule,and preferences of the user. For example, the mobile device 12 mayacquire information regarding a wake-up time and an office closing timeof the user. In addition, the mobile device 12 may acquire informationregarding the user's favorite movie and music taste by using types ofmovie and music played in the mobile device 12. As another example, themobile device 12 may acquire information regarding products purchased bythe user, through electronic payment details.

In operation S1120, the mobile device 12 receives, from the server 100in which the user of the mobile device 12 is registered, a triggersignal generated when the mobile device 12 is located at a specificlocation in the home.

The server 100 may store information regarding at least one home device16 in the home, which is controlled by the server 100, informationregarding the user of the home devices 16, and the like. For example,the server 100 may acquire identification information of the user andidentification values of the home devices 16 by using informationrecorded in a website provided by the server 100. In addition, theserver 100 may acquire an identification value of the mobile device 12used by the user.

At least one sensor 14 may be provided at each specific location in thehome. For example, sensors may be respectively provided in bedrooms, amultipurpose room, a bathroom, a kitchen, the entrance, and a livingroom in the home. A sensor 14 may detect the mobile device 12 locatedaround a location where the sensor 14 is provided. The sensor 14 maygenerate a trigger signal when the mobile device 12 is detected. Theserver 100 may receive the generated trigger signal from the sensor 14.

The server 100 may transmit the received trigger signal to the mobiledevice 12. As another example, the server 100 may transmit, to themobile device 12, a context information request signal generated basedon the received trigger signal.

In operation S1130, the mobile device 12 provides acquired contextinformation to the server 100 in response to the reception of thetrigger signal.

For example, the mobile device 12 may transmit context information tothe server 100 in response to the trigger signal received from theserver 100. As another example, the mobile device 12 may transmitcontext information to the server 100 during a preset period.

FIG. 12 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detailthe system 10 for controlling a home device 16, according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S1210, a sensor 14 detects a mobile device 12 located at aspecific location. According to an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 14may detect the mobile device 12 located where the sensor 14 is located.

Operation S1210 may correspond to operation S310 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1220, the sensor 14 transmits a trigger signal to theserver 100 when the mobile device 12 is detected. The sensor 14 maygenerate the trigger signal when the mobile device 12 is detected. Thetrigger signal may include information on home devices 16 located aroundthe sensor 14. The sensor 14 may transmit the generated trigger signalto the server 100.

Operation S1220 may correspond to operation S320 described above withreference to FIG. 3.

In operation S1230, the server 100 requests the mobile device 12 forcontext information according to the reception of the trigger signal.

The server 100 may request the mobile device for context information bytransmitting the received trigger signal to the mobile device 12.

In operation S1240, the mobile device 12 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location. The mobile device 12 maypreviously store identification values of home devices 16 located in thehome of the user. The mobile device 12 may determine a home device 16located as a specific location by using an identification value of thehome device 16, which is included in the received trigger signal.

In operation S1250, the mobile device 12 selects context informationrelated to an operation of the determined home device 16.

The context information stored in the mobile device 12 may includeinformation related to a situation of the user using the mobile device12. The mobile device 12 may extract context information of the homedevice 16 determined based on the trigger signal from among the storedcontext information.

For example, the mobile device 12 may store information regarding eachof the home devices 16 located in the home of the user. The informationregarding each of the home devices 16 may include keyword informationrelated to each of the home devices 16.

The mobile device 12 may determine a home device 16 by using theidentification value of the home device 16, which is included in thereceived trigger signal. The mobile device 12 may extract the contextinformation of the determined home device 16 from among the storedcontext information by using a keyword related to the determined homedevice 16.

In operation S1260, the server 100 receives the selected contextinformation from the mobile device 12.

In operation S1270, the server 100 provides the received contextinformation to the determined home device 16. The server 100 maydetermine a home device 16 to which the context information is to betransmitted, by using the trigger signal received from the sensor 14.

In operation S1280, the determined home device 16 determines anoperation to be performed by the home device 16, by using the contextinformation received from the server. For example, when a TV receives,from the server 100, context information related to a broadcast programwhich the user has watched, the TV may perform a display operation ofthe TV so as to play the broadcast program from a frame immediatelyafter the frame which the user has watched.

FIG. 13 illustrates an operation flow diagram for describing in detailthe system 10 for controlling a home device 16, according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In operation S1310, a sensor 14 detects a mobile device 12 located at aspecific location.

Operation S1310 may correspond to operation S1210 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1320, the sensor 14 transmits a trigger signal to theserver 100 when the mobile device 12 is detected.

Operation S1320 may correspond to operation S1220 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1330, the server 100 requests the mobile device 12 forcontext information according to the reception of the trigger signal.

Operation S1330 may correspond to operation S1230 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1340, the mobile device 12 determines a home device 16corresponding to the specific location.

Operation S1340 may correspond to operation S1240 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1350, the mobile device 12 selects context informationrelated to an operation of the determined home device 16.

Operation S1350 may correspond to operation S1250 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1360, the server 100 receives the selected contextinformation from the mobile device 12.

Operation S1360 may correspond to operation S1260 described above withreference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1370, the server 100 determines operation to be performedby the home device 16, by using the context information. For example,when the context information includes information related to a broadcastprogram which the user has watched, the server 100 determines theoperation as displaying the TV so as to play the broadcast program froma frame immediately after the frame which the user has watched.

In operation S1380, the server 100 controls the home device 16 based onthe determined operation. For example, the server 100 sends a controlsignal to the TV for displaying the broadcast program which the user haswatched.

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of the server 100 for controllinghome devices 16, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept.

Referring to FIG. 14, the server 100 may include a communication unit110, a control unit 120, and a database 130.

The server 100 shown in FIG. 14 includes only components related to thepresent exemplary embodiment. Therefore, it could be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art related to the present exemplary embodimentthat other general-use components may be further included besides thecomponents shown in FIG. 14.

The communication unit 110 (e.g., a communicator, communicationprocessor, etc.) receives a trigger signal generated by a sensor 14 inthe home when a mobile device 12 is located at a specific location. Thecommunication unit 110 provides selected context information to a homedevice 16.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the communication unit 110requests the mobile device 12 for context information of the mobiledevice 12 or a user when the trigger signal is received.

The communication unit 110 may receive context information from themobile device 12 during a preset period. According to another exemplaryembodiment, the communication unit 110 may provide the received contextinformation to the data storage server 940. The context information maybe classified according to home devices 16 located in the home andstored in the data storage server 940.

The communication unit 110 may transmit, to the home device 16, linkinformation for downloading the context information stored in the datastorage server 940.

The control unit 120 (e.g., controller, processor, etc.) determines ahome device 16 corresponding to a specific location by using a triggersignal and selects context information related to an operation of thedetermined home device 16 from among context information received fromthe mobile device 12. The trigger signal may include an identificationvalue of the mobile device 12, which is acquired by a sensor 14 when themobile device 12 is located at a specific location in the home.

The control unit 120 may determine the mobile device 12 by comparing theidentification value of the mobile device 12 with pre-storedidentification values of a plurality of mobile devices. The control unit120 may control the communication unit 110 to request the mobile device12 for context information of the mobile device 12 or the user when theidentification value of the mobile device 12 is included in theidentification values of the plurality of mobile devices.

The control unit 120 may extract context information to be used todetermine an operation to be performed by a home device 16, by using akeyword preset for each home device 16.

The database 130 may store identification information of a plurality ofusers and identification values of mobile devices of the plurality ofusers. For example, the database 130 may store an identification valueof the user and the identification value of the mobile device 12.

The database 130 may store identification values of home devices locatedin the home of each of the plurality of users. For example, the database130 may store identification values of the home devices 16 located inthe home of the user. In addition, the database 130 may store keywordsof each of the home devices 16 located in the home of the user. Thekeywords of each of the home devices 16 may be used to extract contextinformation related to each of the home devices 16 from among contextinformation received from the mobile device 12.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate block diagrams for describing a configurationof a mobile device 1500, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept.

As shown in FIG. 15, the mobile device 1500 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept may include a communication unit1510 (e.g., a communicator, a communication processor, etc.), a controlunit 1520 (e.g., controller, processor, etc.), and an output unit 1530(e.g., an output, output device, etc.). However, all the componentsshown in FIG. 15 are not mandatory. The mobile device 1500 may beimplemented by more or less components than the components shown in FIG.15.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the mobile device 1500 may furtherinclude a user input unit 1540 (e.g., a user input, user input device,etc.), a sensing unit 1550 (e.g., a sensor, etc.), an audio/video (A/V)input unit 1560 (e.g., audio/video input, etc., and a memory 1570besides the communication unit 1510, the control unit 1520, and theoutput unit 1530.

The communication unit 1510 may acquire context information of themobile device 1500 or a user. The communication unit 1510 may receive,from a server 100 in which the user of the mobile device 1500 isregistered, a trigger signal generated when the mobile device 1500 islocated at a specific location in the home.

The communication unit 1410 may provide an identification value of adetermined home device and determined context information to the server100 to which the user of the mobile device 1500 has subscribed.

The communication unit 1510 may include one or more components enablingthe mobile device 1500 to communicate with an external device or theserver 100. For example, the communication unit 1510 may include ashort-range wireless communication unit 1511, a mobile communicationunit 1512, and a broadcast reception unit 1513.

The short-range wireless communication unit 1511 may include a Bluetoothcommunication unit, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication unit, anear-field wireless communication unit, a wireless local area network(WLAN) (Wi-Fi) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, aninfrared data association (IrDA) communication unit, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD)communication unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication unit, an Ant+communication unit, and the like but is not limited thereto.

The mobile communication unit 1512 may transmit and receive a wirelesssignal to and from at least one of a base station, an external terminal,and a server in a mobile communication network. Herein the wirelesssignal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal, or varioustypes of data according to text/multimedia message transmission andreception.

The broadcast reception unit 1513 may receive a broadcast signal and/orbroadcast related information from the outside through a broadcastchannel, and the broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and aterrestrial channel. According to implemented examples, the mobiledevice 1500 may not include the broadcast reception unit 1513.

The control unit 1520 may commonly control a general operation of themobile device 1500. The control unit 1520 may generally control thecommunication unit 1510, the output unit 1530, the user input unit 1540,the sensing unit 1550, the A/V input unit 1560, and the like byexecuting programs stored in the memory 1570.

The control unit 1520 may determine the acquired context information tobe provided to the server 100 in response to the received triggersignal. From among the acquired context information, context informationrelated to an operation of a home device 16 corresponding to a specificlocation may be provided from the server 100 to the home device 16.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the control unit 1520 maydetermine a home device 16 corresponding to a specific location when atrigger signal is received. The control unit 1520 may determine contextinformation related to an operation of the home device 16 from among thecontext information of the mobile device 1500 or the user.

The output unit 1530 is to output an audio signal, a video signal, or avibration signal and may include a display unit 1531, an acoustic outputunit 1532, a vibration motor 1533, haptic feedback device, tappingfeedback device, and the like.

The display unit 1531 displays information processed by the mobiledevice 1500. The display unit 1531 may output a result which occursaccording to the execution of at least one task selected when a type ofan execution input acquired by the user input unit 1540 corresponds to apreset type according to a previously acquired hovering input.

The display unit 1531 may display an identification mark indicating anapplication to be executed by the mobile device 1500 or an operation ofthe application. For example, the identification mark may include anicon or the like.

When the display unit 1531 and a touch pad form a layer structure toconfigure a touch screen, the display unit 1531 may be used as not onlyan output device but also an input device. The display unit 1531 mayinclude at least one of a liquid crystal display, a thin-film transistorliquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexibledisplay, a three-dimensional (3D) display, and an electrophoreticdisplay. The mobile device 1500 may include two or more display units1531 according to an implementation form of the mobile device 1400. Thetwo or more display units 1531 may be disposed to face each other byusing a hinge.

The acoustic output unit 1532 may output audio data received through thecommunication unit 1510 or stored in the memory 1570. In addition, theacoustic output unit 1532 may output an acoustic signal related to afunction (e.g., a call signal reception sound, a message receptionsound, or an alarm sound) performed by the mobile device 1500. Theacoustic output unit 1532 may include a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The vibration motor 1533 may output a vibration signal. For example, thevibration motor 1533 may output a vibration signal corresponding to anoutput of audio data or video data (e.g., a call signal reception sound,a message reception sound, or the like). In addition, the vibrationmotor 1533 may output a vibration signal when a touch is inputtedthrough the touch screen.

The user input unit 1540 may indicate a means through which a userinputs data for controlling the mobile device 1500. For example, theuser input unit 1440 may include a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad (acapacitive overlay touch pad, a resistive overlay touch pad, an IR beamtouch pad, a surface acoustic wave touch pad, an integral strain gaugetouch pad, a piezoelectric touch pad, or the like), a jog wheel, a jogswitch, and the like but is not limited thereto.

The sensing unit 1550 may sense a state of the mobile device 1500 or astate of the surroundings of the mobile device 1500 and transmit thesensed information to the control unit 1520.

The sensing unit 1550 may include at least one of a magnetic sensor1551, an acceleration sensor 1552, a temperature/humidity sensor 1553,an IR sensor 1554, a gyroscope sensor 1555, a position sensor (e.g.,global positioning system (GPS)) 1556, an atmospheric pressure sensor1557, a proximity sensor 1458, and an RGB sensor (illuminance sensor)1559 but is not limited thereto. The function of each of the sensors1551 to 1559 may be intuitively inferred by those of ordinary skill inthe art from the names thereof, and thus a detailed description thereofis omitted.

The A/V input unit 1560 is to input an audio signal or a video signaland may include a camera 1561, a microphone 1562, and the like. Thecamera 1561 may acquire an image frame of a still image, a movingpicture, or the like through an image sensor in a video call mode or acapturing mode. An image captured through the image sensor may beprocessed by the control unit 1520 or a separate image processing unit(not shown).

The image frame processed by the camera 1561 may be stored in the memory1570 or transmitted to the outside through the communication unit 1510.Two or more cameras 1561 may be provided depending on an implementationform of the mobile device 1500.

The microphone 1562 may receive an external acoustic signal and processthe external acoustic signal to electrical voice data. For example, themicrophone 1562 may receive an acoustic signal from an external deviceor a speaker. The microphone 1562 may use various noise cancellationalgorithms to cancel noise generated during a process of receiving anexternal acoustic signal.

The memory 1570 may store programs for processing and control of thecontrol unit 1520 and store inputted/outputted data (e.g., a pluralityof menus, a plurality of first-layer sub-menus corresponding to each ofthe plurality of menus, a plurality of second-layer sub-menuscorresponding to each of the plurality of first-layer sub-menus, and thelike).

The memory 1570 may include at least one type of storage medium among aflash memory type memory, a hard disk type memory, a multimedia cardmicro type memory, a card type memory (e.g., a secure digital (SD) orextreme digital (XD) memory or the like), random access memory (RAM),static RAM (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasableprogrammable ROM (EEPROM), PROM, a magnetic memory, a magnetic disc, andan optical disc. In addition, the mobile device 1500 may operate a webstorage or a cloud server which performs a storage function of thememory 1570 over the Internet.

The programs stored in the memory 1570 may be classified into aplurality of modules according to functions thereof, e.g., a userinterface (UI) module 1571, a touch screen module 1572, an alarm module1573, and the like.

The UI module 1571 may provide a specified UI, graphic user interface(GUI), or the like interoperating with the mobile device 1500 for eachapplication. The touch screen module 1572 may sense a touch gesture ofthe user on the touch screen and transmit information regarding thetouch gesture to the control unit 1520. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the touch screen module 1572 may recognize and analyze atouch code. The touch screen module 1572 may be configured by separatehardware including a controller.

Various sensors for sensing a touch or a proximity touch on the touchscreen may be provided inside or nearby the touch screen. An example ofa sensor for sensing a touch on the touch screen is a tactile sensor.The tactile sensor is a sensor for sensing a contact of a specificobject at a degree of human feeling or more. The tactile sensor maysense various pieces of information such as roughness of a contactsurface, hardness of a contact object, a temperature of a contact point,and the like.

Another example of a sensor for sensing a touch on the touch screen is aproximity sensor.

The proximity sensor is a sensor for detecting whether an objectapproaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object existsby using an electromagnetic force or an IR ray without a mechanicalcontact. Examples of the proximity sensor are a transmissiveoptoelectric sensor, a direct reflective optoelectric sensor, a mirrorreflective optoelectric sensor, a high-frequency oscillation proximitysensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, anIR proximity sensor, and the like. Examples of a touch gesture of theuser are a tap, a touch & hold, a double tap, a drag, a panning, aflick, a drag & drop, a swipe, and the like.

The alarm module 1573 may generate a signal for notifying of theoccurrence of an event of the mobile device 1500. Examples of an eventgenerated by the mobile device 1500 are call signal reception, messagereception, a key signal input, a schedule notification, and the like.The alarm module 1573 may output an alarm signal in a video signal formthrough the display unit 1531, an alarm signal in an audio signal formthrough the acoustic output unit 1532, or an alarm signal in a vibrationsignal form through the vibration motor 1533.

The methods according to one or more exemplary embodiments of theinventive concept may be implemented in a program instruction formexecutable through various computer means and recorded in acomputer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recordingmedium may include program instructions, data files, data structures,and the like, taken alone or in combination. The program instructionsrecorded in the medium may be particularly designed and configured forthe one or more exemplary embodiments. Examples of the computer-readablerecording medium are magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks,and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and digital versatilediscs (DVDs), magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, andhardware devices, such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory(RAM), flash memories, and the like, particularly configured to storeand execute program instructions. The program instructions include, forexample, not only machine language codes made by a compiler but alsohigh-language codes executable by a computer by using an interpreter orthe like.

It should be understood that exemplary embodiments described hereinshould be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each exemplaryembodiment should typically be considered as available for other similarfeatures or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.

While one or more exemplary embodiments have been described withreference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method by which a server controls a pluralityof devices, the method comprising: receiving a trigger signal generatedby a sensor in a home in response to a mobile device being present at aspecific location in the home; determining a plurality of devicescorresponding to the specific location by using the trigger signal;receiving context information indicating a situation of a user from themobile device; selecting context information related to operations ofthe determined plurality of devices from among the received contextinformation by using keywords respectively related to the plurality ofdevices, each of the operations corresponding to each of the pluralityof devices; and providing the selected context information to theplurality of devices respectively so that each of the plurality ofdevices performs the operations.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thetrigger signal comprises an identification value of the mobile deviceand identification values of the plurality of devices.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising determining the mobile device by comparingthe identification value of the mobile device with pre-storedidentification values of a plurality of mobile devices; and wherein thedetermining of the plurality of devices is determined based on theidentification values of the plurality of devices.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the context information comprises at least one ofinformation regarding a location of the mobile device, a time, weather,execution history of applications executed by the mobile device, anactivity history, lifestyle, a consumption list, a schedule, andpreferences of the user.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingrequesting the mobile device for context information of the mobiledevice or context information of the user according to the reception ofthe trigger signal.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving the context information from the mobile device during a presetperiod; and providing the received context information to a data storageserver, wherein the context information is classified for each of theplurality of devices located in the home and stored in the data storageserver.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the providing of the selectedcontext information comprises transmitting, to each of the plurality ofdevices, link information for downloading the context information storedin the data storage server.
 8. A server for controlling a plurality ofdevices, the server comprising: a communicator; and at least oneprocessor is configured to: receive a trigger signal generated by asensor in a home in response to a mobile device being present at aspecific location in the home, determine a plurality of devicescorresponding to the specific location by using the trigger signal,receive context information indicating a situation of a user from themobile device, select context information related to operations of thedetermined plurality of devices from among the received contextinformation by using keywords respectively related to the plurality ofdevices, each of the operations corresponding to each of the pluralityof devices, and provide the selected context information to theplurality of devices respectively so that each of the plurality ofdevices performs the operations.
 9. The server of claim 8, wherein thetrigger signal comprises an identification value of the mobile deviceand identification values of the plurality of devices.
 10. The server ofclaim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:determine the mobile device by comparing the identification value of themobile device with pre-stored identification values of a plurality ofmobile devices, and determine the plurality of devices based on theidentification values of the plurality of devices.
 11. The server ofclaim 8, wherein the context information comprises at least one ofinformation regarding a location of the mobile device, a time, weather,execution history of applications executed by the mobile device, anactivity history, lifestyle, a consumption list, a schedule, andpreferences of the user.
 12. The server of claim 8, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to request the mobile device forcontext information of the mobile device or context information of theuser according to the reception of the trigger signal.
 13. The server ofclaim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:receiving the context information from the mobile device during a presetperiod, and provide the received context information to a data storageserver, wherein the context information is classified for each of theplurality of devices located in the home and stored in the data storageserver.
 14. The server of claim 13, wherein the at least one processoris further configured to transmit, to each of the plurality of devices,link information for downloading the context information stored in thedata storage server.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable recordingmedium having recorded thereon a computer-readable program forperforming the method of claim 1.